BRADFORD CORPORATION GAS DEPARTMENT

Records relate to administration, finance, law, estate & property, production and retail

• <corpname>Bradford Gas Light Company, 1820-1871</corpname>
• <corpname>Bradford Corporation Gas Department, 1871-1949</corpname>

The original Bradford Gas Light Co was formed in 1820 and incorporated by AoP in 1822. With a capital of £15,000 the first works were constructed at Mill St on a 2.5 acre site. These works supplied the town of Bradford and the townships of Manningham, Horton and Bowling. In 1845 land at Thornton Rd was acquired for a larger works, and again in 1852, additional works were constructed at Valley Rd. These works were extended in 1869. In 1871, Bradford Corporation took over the Bradford GLC and purchased all three gas works for £210,000. Soon after the purchase, in 1877, additional works were constructed at Birkshall. This was the largest works, occupying 21 acres, situated at Laisterdyke and opened in 1883, the same year that the Corporation purchased the chemical works at Frizinghall.

In 1899, the city extended its boundaries and the Corporation acquired the undertakings of the North Bierley GC, the Clayton Allerton & Thornton GC, the Eccleshill and Bolton GC and the Airedale GC. Transfers of sites and assets took place in 1901 and 1902, and by 1903 Bradford Corp owned ten sites including the Frizinghall chemical works.

The site at Low Moor was the works for the North Bierley GC [see NE:NBI for records pre 1900]. The Clayton works and the Wilsden works belonged to the Clayton Allerton & Thornton GC [see NE:CLA for records pre 1900]. The Idle works were formerly owned by the Airedale GC [see NE:AIG for records pre 1900]. The Eccleshill works were acquired from the Eccleshill and Bolton GC [see NE:ECB for records pre 1900].

By 1938, a large programme of reconstruction and centralisation took place and as a result gas manufacture was confined to the Birkshall works. Thornton Rd works were closed down in 1937-8 and the Valley Rd works became a distribution station only. Mill St ended production in 1927 and became the site of repair shops, appliance stores and a garage. Low Moor, Clayton, Idle and Eccleshill also ceased production and became distribution and storage sites.

Following nationalisation, on vesting in 1949 the Bradford Corporation Gas Department became part of the Bradford Group of NEGB.